Stepping Time
by IntoTheWilds
Summary: ONE-SHOT: PART 6 IN THE BUILDING BRIDGES UNIVERSE: Happier times, smiles and the enjoyment of watching their children reach milestones...


**_DISCLAIMER:_**_ I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters!_

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**_ Mentions of Mpreg and just a spot of happy fluff! Part 6 in the BUILDING BRIDGES UNIVERSE! Enjoy my flowers!_

_IntoTheWilds_

_xxx_

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_"But you can build a future out of anything. A scrap, a flicker. The desire to go forward, slowly, one foot at a time. You can build an airy city out of ruins." __  
**― **_**_Lauren Oliver_**

* * *

_/Oh God the pain, it was inhuman. Hair stuck to his damp cheeks, skin feverish, Spencer wriggled in bed and tried to get comfortable. He was dressed in an old fashioned bed shirt, the thick cotton pulled up past his thighs, hugging close to his swelled middle. There was so much pain, so much pain and so much blood, his thighs were a river of red and the baby was coming and he had no one._

_"Help, someone, help me!" A strangled cry escaped the youth and he forced himself to breathe through the latest blazing contraction but it hardly mattered. Nothing was helping. "Derek! Please, it hurts and I'm losing so much blood!" _

_The sconces flickered, the fire roared and clutching his bulging abdomen Spencer attempted to get out of bed. Help, he needed help. With another contraction tearing through him the genius stumbled just catching the bedpost and keeping himself upright. He could feel the blood pouring from his body and with it came an awful feeling of light-headedness. Groaning, Spencer fought back the agonising need to push and when the latest pain passed he struggled across the carpeted floor and out into a plush hallway._

_"D-Derek," he sobbed helplessly a hand on the wall as he guided himself along, "Derek, where are you?"_

_"P-Pretty boy, i-is that you?"_

_With a half sob and half laugh, Spencer followed the sound of his husband's voice. He was in a room three doors down, in a bed looking so pale and sickly, his face was sunken, and dark brown eyes lost, "D-Derek? Derek, are you okay?"_

_"Baby...y-you're bleeding."_

_"T-The baby's coming, something's wrong, I—Nnn!" Spencer slid to the ground clutching his belly and gave into his body and began to push. Blood rapidly stained the carpet beneath him and with the amount leaving his haggard body, the life was slowly fading from him._

_"Spencer, baby boy, y-you need to stay awake," Derek croaked trying to sit up._

_"C-Can't...so tired."_

_Derek pleaded with him to stay awake, more so when their baby slipped free from Spencer's body. The child lay between his thighs screeching fiercely and when a roaring vortex of sound filled the room, Derek bellowed as he was ripped from bed by a looming shadowy form, manic laughter filled Spencer's ears and as their child cried he reached one hand out feebly pleading, "No Derek...come back...COME BACK!"/_

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"Spencer!"

Spencer tore forward yelping. Shoving the searching hands away, he kicked off the duvet and ran his hands over his belly, finding nothing but toned muscle and no blood. Heart racing, skinny clammy Spencer collapsed back against the pillows and in the glow of the morning light he found Derek gawking at him, unsure and eyes brimming with worry, "Baby boy you were absolutely screeching, what happened?"

"Bad dream," Spencer whispered hoarsely.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Derek moved so his arms were wrapped about his husband and as Spencer settled he snuggled in close.

"I was pregnant and in labour. There was so much blood, I-I was bleeding out and I couldn't find you, when I did you were sick, on your death bed and then death came and took you away."

"Oh Spencer," Derek hugged his husband fiercely. Spencer had been having several versions of the same dream ever since the twins had been born. Derek was no fool; it was all down to his supposed death and return that had triggered the dreams. But as of last week, Spencer was in therapy to help. The arguments it had taken were galore.

"I'm fine Derek, honestly." With a yawn, the man cuddled close into his lover, "what time is it?"

"Seven, might as well get up, the twins will be awake and Paige will be in here in the next ten if we don't. I heard her moving around."

With a groan Spencer rolled out of bed and stretched his stiff limbs. Always after a nightmare he felt horribly drained, as if he hadn't slept at all. Trudging from the master bedroom down the hall, Spencer slipped into the nursery and sure enough the twins were awake and sitting up in their cots. At thirteen months they were so like Paige, accept they had Derek's darker eyes and though Jesse's hair was black, his twin had Spencer's brunette coils.

"Hey there," Spencer crooned lifting Jesse. Derek stepped into the nursery a second later and scooped up Amy, who had been rather irritable that her brother was getting all the attention. "Don't whine Amy," Spencer chuckled, "there is only one of me!"

"They're really clinging to you baby boy."

"It's a phase, remember when Paige did it? I couldn't put her down for more than two minutes at a time."

"Ah yeah, forgot that." Amy cooed in delight kicking her tiny legs as her father changed her diaper and slipped her into fresh clothes. The shoes and socks were somewhat of a battle and eventually Spencer had to come to his rescue, "thanks baby." Kissing his husband, he placed Amy on his hip as Spencer placed Jesse on his and together they headed downstairs.

Seven year old Paige sat at the table eyes running over her latest favourite book, while she spooned in cereal. Seeing both her parents and her siblings, the child grinned, "Morning!"

"Morning baby girl," greeted Derek dipping his head to kiss his daughter on the top of her unruly curls, "Feeling better?"

"Yes Daddy," Paige rolled her eyes and sniffled, "it's just a cold."

Spencer laughed in amusement and reaching into the fridge he pulled out a bottle each for the twins. Jesse let out a thrilled sound and reached toward a bottle with one chubby hand, "patience Jess," Spencer scolded gently kissing his tiny fingers, "you're as bad as your daddy when it comes to food."

"Hey!"

"You can't even deny it Derek." Spencer chided with a cheerful smile, "The kids don't whine half as much as you do when you're hungry!"

Laughing, Derek reached for the bottle with pink flora and Minnie mouse and settled down with Amy. The baby girl was a trooper when it came to eating, or at least she was now. Amy hadn't eaten when she was first born and it wasn't long before they realised Amy had problems with her stomach and intestines that had to be rectified with surgery. It had been a terrifying time for them, and it wasn't helped by the post natal depression Spencer had suffered from. Derek still couldn't get the images of Amy being hooked up to wires or tubes out of his mind, her stomach covered in bandages and Spencer almost falling apart by her bedside. It was touch and go for a time, but she healed and was so strong it always made Derek smile to see every milestone she met, more so then his other two children because she had to fight for the right to keep going.

Sitting Amy forward once the bottle was empty, Derek rubbed her back and cheered her when she let out a great belch, "Aw good girl. Happy now you got a full tummy?" Amy made some noises of agreement and wriggled to get down. On unsteady feet she began walking around her parents, grabbing onto things when her wobbly legs became a little too unsteady.

Jesse squealed in outrage making Spencer laugh, "come on, there's no need for that baby, you'll get it in time." Crouching Spencer settled his son on his butt and had to laugh as what was close to an indignant huff escaped the infant. Unlike Amy, Jesse had yet to take his first steps and the thirteen month old watched his twin sister positively envious.

"What's wrong with Jesse Papa?" Paige asked looking over Spencer's shoulder at her sulking baby brother.

"He wants to walk like Amy, so he's just a little annoyed that he can't."

"Maybe we can help," Paige suggested before running off to her room.

Derek looked over the rim of his coffee mug, expression amused. Spencer shrugged; he had no idea what Paige was planning. A few seconds later she returned carrying a gigantic fawn teddy she had named Bambi—_three guesses after what_!—Grinning like a loon she plodded past her baby brother who, pudgy fist firmly lodged in his mouth, was now watching her curiously. Amy stopped beside Spencer, reaching out to grasp a strand of his hair and the little family were on tenterhooks as if something mementos was about to happen.

Stopping a few feet away from Jesse Paige set Bambi on the ground and started toward her brother and Derek and Spencer watched amazed as she pulled the boy to his feet and held him till she was sure he wasn't about to fall. Grinning, Paige darted back toward Bambi and held the toy up, "come on Jess, you can do it, walk to Bambi and I!"

Spencer stood with Amy in his arms and smiled when Derek slipped an arm about his waist. They watched in amusement as Jesse wobbled and fell several times but patiently Paige helped him back to his feet. It continued for almost an hour, with Paige calling encouragements to her brother, one incident of Amy simply shoving her brother over, and Spencer leaving the room long enough to get coffee, when Paige let out an excited, "Daddy, Papa look!"

Sure enough Jesse took a determined step, then another and another before he finally dropped on his butt with a shriek of delight. Bouncing up and down he gurgled happily. Scooping him up, Derek kissed his chubby little cheeks, "that's it baby boy, we knew you could do it!"

Jesse let out a content coo, throwing his chubby arms about his father's neck, nuzzling into the safety that was his father. Spencer dipped his head kissing his son's cheek, enjoying his triumph and the warmth of family.


End file.
